In Tel Aviv, the walls of Dr. Avner Golov’s office still bear the marks of an Iranian missile strike only weeks earlier. For Golov, Vice President of MIND Israel and a former Senior Director of Israel’s National Security Council, the confrontation with Iran is not distant or theoretical. It is daily life. In a recent interview with MBN, he insisted that policymakers in Washington understand that Israel’s struggle with Iran is not a new war, but a decades-long campaign, and Israel’s only friend continues to be the US.
In Golov’s words, “The war between Iran and Israel was not launched on June 12th by an Israeli strike. It was launched many, many years ago” when Iran declared itself an Islamic Republic after Ayatollah Khomeini came to power and called for Israel’s destruction – a goal that has remained undiminished for the régime, leading even to the installation of a giant “Israel doomsday clock” in Tehran’s Palestine Square. Golov stressed that far from being reactive, the Iranian régime’s hostility toward Israel was a deliberate policy choice from the outset.
Three strategic assets
Golov argued that the threat from Iran today rests on three carefully developed tools. As he put it, “The Iranian régime decided to invest in three strategic assets. One, the Iranian proxy mechanism in the region — Hezbollah, the beating heart,” with the second asset being the missile program and the third the nuclear program.
Therefore, he said, for Israel – and for Washington – this makes the challenge broader than just a single border clash. It’s about regional militias from Lebanon to Yemen, missile ranges that can already target Europe, and nuclear ambitions that Golov described as an insurance policy for the régime’s survival.
The recent Israeli strikes demonstrated that Iran’s capabilities are not invulnerable, Golov emphasized. “Israel severely damaged the missile program of Iran. On the nuclear, it’s still to be determined.”
For him, the question is not only about facilities but motivation. Tehran could conclude that the costs are too high – or the reverse. “Another option [is] that the Iranian Supreme Leader will say… ‘My only way to make sure this doesn’t happen again is to develop nuclear weapons’.”
That uncertainty makes the coming months critical and highlights the role of Washington’s resolve in shaping Iranian decision-making.
Redefining “Never Again”
Events since October 7 have left Israelis traumatized but also determined to change the defense doctrine. In the past, Israeli security planners believed walls would suffice in providing deterrence. Not anymore, Golov said.
“Today in Israel, ‘never again’ means something else… We need safe zone, 360 degrees beyond Israel … to make sure … our people are not going to face massacre again.”
Henceforth, in his view, Israel’s approach must be less about passively repelling attacks and more about projecting security zones outward: military, political, and diplomatic.
Opportunities Amid Danger
Golov also sees openings. Iran’s weakened position, combined with American military involvement, creates space for stronger regional cooperation and broader normalization in the region. For US policymakers, his message is that reassurance and visible commitment, not retreat, produce results.
When asked what Israel offers Washington in this equation, Golov was clear. “Israel… cannot put [in] lots of money … but this is the only player in the Middle East [that] can offer you loyalty … we have only one ally in the world, and this is the US.”
For him, stability in the Middle East is less about funding flow and more about dependable partners who will not vacillate between Washington and its rivals.
Andres Ilves
Andres Ilves is Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives at MBN. His career as a journalist and writer includes two decades at the BBC and Radio Free Europe.
